Danny Welbeck’s the man to fire up England

Danny Welbeck feared Nigel de Jong had wrecked his Euro 2012 hopes on the same night as City toppled United in the Premier League.

Danny Welbeck of England celebrates after scoring the first goal of the match during the international friendly match between England and Belgium

Danny Welbeck feared Nigel de Jong had wrecked his Euro 2012 hopes on the same night as City toppled United in the Premier League.

On a miserable night at the Etihad Stadium the striker went down under a crunching tackle late on that ruled him out of the final two games of the season.

City’s 1-0 derby win saw them move ahead of United on goal difference – and effectively handed them the title.

The pain of that domestic disappointment would only have been compounded if Welbeck had to then watch England fly out to Poland and the Ukraine without him as he sat at home nursing his injured ankle.

But Roy Hodgson showed how important the 21-year-old from Longsight is to his plans by naming him in his final 23 to go to the Euros. And the England manager was rewarded on Saturday as Welbeck struck a superb winner against Belgium at Wembley.

The United player’s broad smile as he wheeled away in celebration was in marked contrast to the concern etched on his face as he departed Eastlands on April 30 with his foot in a protective cast.

“Initially I was worried,” he said. “That night I went home and all sorts of things went through my head. “You’re thinking, ‘what’s happening?’ until you have the scan in the morning.

“So there was a period that I was downhearted but I’ve come back from that and luckily it wasn’t as bad as I first thought.

Positive

“I just wanted to get back in he gym and do the stuff that I could do – cardiovascular work on the bikes and the different machines just to make sure that I was ready when needed.

“I had to keep positive. There were times I was thinking that maybe I won’t be able to make it, but the manager kept faith in me and I was always ready to go.”

There were still concerns about Welbeck’s ability to get fit in time even after he’d been confirmed as one of Hodgson’s four strikers.

He played little part in the new manager’s first training sessions – and after Andy Carroll was handed the number nine shirt for the finals it appeared as though the Liverpool striker was favourite to lead the attack against France on June 11.

Welbeck has now thrust himself well in the picture to be England’s first-choice striker while Wayne Rooney is suspended for the opening two games, with his first goal for his country a touch of real class.

Peeling away to collect Ashley Young’s slid pass, he coolly lifted the ball over Simon Mignolet in a fashion rarely seen by Carroll.

His impressive performance also justified Sir Alex Ferguson’s bold claim three years ago that he would go on to become a fixture for England.

At the time the United manager predicted he would force his way into Fabio Capello’s squad for the 2010 World Cup – a curious statement given that he could hardly get a game for his club at the time.

“I was aware of what he said, but that season I didn’t play 20 games like I wanted to,” said Welbeck.

“It’s tough because you’d be training for weeks and weeks and not getting a game. But you can’t read too much into that. You’ve got to keep pushing yourself and doing what you can.”

It was a season-long loan to Sunderland in 2010 that turned his fortunes around – and when he returned to Old Trafford last summer, he forced his way ahead of Javier Hernandez, Dimitar Berbatov and Michael Owen as Rooney’s first-choice strike partner.

Scoring 12 goals in an injury-hampered season – including stunning strikes against City and Everton – he was already a firm figure in Capello’s plans before Hodgson took over the reins. His goal on Saturday fulfilled an ambition he has had since playing for England at every level from under-16s onwards and given him a genuine chance to start alongside Young.

“To get my first goal for England is something I’ve dreamed of since I was a little kid,” he said. “I want to get more under my belt.

Talent

“It’s the same playing with Ashley for England as it is United. We know each other’s game. We see each other on the training pitch day in day out.

The hope for Hodgson is that Welbeck can emulate Rooney’s impact at his first Euros in 2004, when he burst on to the international scene with four goals at that tournament.

“It’s a huge plus because he hasn’t played for a while,” said Hodgson.

“We were a bit concerned when he joined us about how quickly the ankle injury would clear up and we’d get him back into training every day.

“That’s happened this last week. He’s a naturally fit boy, but he’s the type of player who will benefit from the fact that we will be training every day up to the first game against France and he will be buoyed enormously by the fact that he scored a goal in one of his first internationals.”

And Welbeck has the endorsement of Rooney that he can be one of England’s stars.

“Danny’s spell at Sunderland helped him,” he said. “He came back bigger and stronger and started more United games last season and coped really well. It was great to see him get his first goal.

“I’ve seen enough to believe we will be fine without me for those games. I think four or five points will get us through the group and we’re capable of beating France and
Sweden.”

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